The Return of the King
by NaruHinaProductions2014
Summary: Earth was thrown into choas from the Second Impact and now more then half the world is gone so were the protecter as well. So many thought the Titans were gone this world but there still some who believed that some of them were still here Waiting to return to the world to face the threat again. Can the Evas and humankind save the world or will they regret this once the king awakens


Chapter 1 (untitled)

There was a speckle of light at the end of the road, headlights shining brightly against the Nevadan horizon, itself awash in the mixture of indigo and pink of dusk, as the car drove towards the tiny outpost, just before the darkness fell upon it.

The outpost contained a busted AC that sputtered every now and then but held on during the relentless heat of the day, a foldable chair that chafed if you sat in for way too long, and a cot where one guard slept for in between shifts. And a swath of closed circuit monitors that transmitted images from millions of motion sensing cameras placed in a wide range in the surrounding area. The car, a beat up red Honda, was spotted miles away; it triggered a silent alarm, raising the security level slightly. The Honda was expected anyway but security protocols needed to be followed regardless even if the President of the United States of America himself were to drop by for a surprise visit.

Colonel Samuel Eldridge, Director of Tactical Operations for NERV-2, sat on the foldable chair, his feet propped up on the open windowsill, the Stetson resting on his head as he lit another tobacco cigarette, the orange flame of his match lighting up his weathered face and bushy moustache. He snuffed it out and chucked the burnt match out the window. The cigarette glowed as he took a drag and let out a few puffs of smoke. The Honda's headlights became more apparent as did the car's engine sounds, first starting off faintly before increasing in volume.

The Honda stopped in front of the outpost's security gate, a yellow and black security barrier gate. Usually one of the security guards would go and help whoever stumbled onto this tiny outpost in the middle of nowhere by giving them directions towards the closest town, Las Vegas for example, in a stern yet gentle tone, hand resting on the butt of their Berettas M9s, smiles plastered on their faces. But not this time as Eldridge walked up to the driver's side, his hand not resting on the butt of his Colt M45A1 Close Quarters Battle Pistol (he didn't need to since he thought it was too damn theatrical), with the most annoyed expression on his face.

He stuck out his right hand, waiting for the ID's. The driver's window slid down, a shaky tan hand passing two ID cards to his steady hand.

Eldridge didn't even bother looking at them, passing them off to the sentry behind him to get them checked out.

He leaned closer to the window and stared at the driver and the passenger.

The driver was a young man in his mid-twenties, Hispanic, and trembling nervously. _Great, just what I need, a jumpy wet behind the ears greenhorn._ The passenger was a woman who looked to be in her early forties, Asian, and calmer than the driver. Eldridge wasn't a bigot or anything like that, he just called it like he sees it. Her eyes had a strange look about them, as if she's experienced much turmoil in her life. He took little comfort in the fact that she was more composed. In fact he took little comfort that these two individuals were here to begin with.

That meant that the three of em were in the big leagues now, that they all reached the part where the rollercoaster had finished its climb and was ready to take the passengers for a one way ride into hell itself.

"Well, speak up, son." Eldridge said, his voice deep and gravelly with a drawl, causing the driver to flinch before he stammered out his credentials.

"W-well m-my name is Pablo Gonzalez, and I am the chief scientist for Project E, that is t-the NERV-2 facility, of course, n-not the actual chief, that would be Prof-fessor Aka-"

Eldridge cut him off.

"I didn't ask about any of that. I know who she is and frankly, I could give two horseshits about that woman. What I want to know is why they sent me a pipsqueak like you to babysit."

"H-hey! I'm at least 24 so it's not like I'm a child, you know!"

The woman, who had been silent up until this point, interjected. "Mr. Eldridge, we know you don't want us here but I hope that we could simply work together to get through this as quickly as possible. After all, we're both professionals."

For a full ten seconds there was silence. The sun had finally set and it was night. Then Eldridge replied.

"Oh I know all about you, Miss Miki Saegusa. You and your ESP stuff. Don't worry, you don't gotta convince me of anything. I know you're the real McCoy. The real question is how much trouble you're gonna give me. Maybe not as much the residential brat that lives here already. But I don't trust people who can take peek into my head. The name's Eldridge but that's Colonel Eldridge to you."

Eldridge grunted. He stuck out his hands for the ID's, got them, and chucked them into Pablo's lap.

"I really wished those were phonies. Because then I'd have an excuse to kick your ass to the curb.

He grunted.

"Open up the rear passenger door. I'm giving you the Goddamn tour of the place."

The Honda sat on a platform that appeared on desert ground and descended into the bowels of NERV-2. Eldridge sat in the backseat, arms folded, as he puffed on his cigarette. Pablo tried to stifle his coughs but he failed, and Miki rolled down her window. The warning lights flashed red, the din of machinery roared, as the big elevator kept on going down and down and down...

Until bright lights filled both her's and Pablo's vision, blinding them for a split second, but Eldridge had tipped his hat before.

The platform stopped. The trio got out of the car. Pablo and Miki stretched out their backs but Eldridge was already headed to the moving walkway, causing Pablo to mutter under his breath. They followed him on it as the walkway moved them through the facility.

"You know, a tour is supposed to have the tour guide telling us about the place." Pablo snarked but one stony look from Eldridge shut him up.

The walkway proceeded to move the trio into a massive cavern, smoothed out so that instead of stalactites there were several hangar lights, along with several tall buildings and structures, some that looked like cages for giants.

One of the cages was draped with lots of tarps. Pablo sweated even more now, shivering because it had gotten colder. And not just because the facility happened to be underground.

He asked, "Is that supposed to be EVA-04?

Eldridge replied. "Ain't you supposed to be the genius here?"

Pablo fumed as he started to say something but a look from Miki changed his mind and said nothing. Eldridge was just another bully who liked to take power trips. Miki just kept on looking at the gigantic cage covered in tarp until the walkway took it out of sight by moving them into another section.

The walkway stopped them at the entrance to a corridor, Eldridge moving without missing a beat, Miki and Pablo following him until they stopped in front of a door. He took a out a card, its color black with a crimson line going through it, slid it into the card reader, and spoke into the microphone above it "Sammy Sammy Sammy", put his hand on the biometric scanner, and finally his eye into retinal scanner.

"Spared no expense." Pablo said with a chuckle as Eldridge grunted.

"We also have to take one of those antibacterial showers so take them trousers off."

Pablo and Miki blanched as Eldridge smiled wickedly. "Relax, it's a joke. I read the other books from the same guy."

Miki sighed with relief as Pablo's face reddened.

"But I do have to kill you if you start blabbing about this place."

Pablo chuckled but Eldridge didn't which caused him to stop laughing. "You can't be serious."

Eldridge said nothing.

They went through a dark corridor before coming into the Command Center, a big room the size of an auditorium. Various technicians in tan uniforms were at work at their terminals. A big panoramic screen took up one section of the wall and opposite of it was a skybox of sorts, a small set of stairs leading up to it. Eldridge simply kept on walking as the other two looked on agape.

"You think that's something, you should see Central Dogma at NERV HQ. Makes this one look pretty small. And their MAGI supercomputers beat our Cray Titans, so I gotta give it to Akagi for coming up with something that good," said Eldridge as they exited the Command Center.

"Alright, here's your sleeping quarters. Y'all must be beat after that trip you took. Your passes for the facility are on that table there." Eldridge nodded towards the rooms, which looked utilitarian and spartan. The beds were built into the wall on the left and the bathroom was on the right. Eldridge paused before continuing.

"I'd keep an eye out for the kid if I were you. She's got a nasty habit of pulling pranks."

Pablo's expression looked puzzled before chucking his stuff on the desk before heading towards the bunk bed. "So anything I-"

A monster jumped out of the bed, leaping onto Pablo as he fell screaming.

Miki covered her mouth not to prevent a scream but to keep from laughing. The "monster" was a petite preteen girl, wearing a silver bodysuit and a Predator mask, tackling the poor Latino on the carpet.

"BOO!" It shouted in a girl's voice as "the monster" got off of Pablo and took her mask off. A blonde girl with fair skin, blue eyes, and a bunch of freckles on the bridge of her nose. She stuck her hand out to help Pablo up. "Relax, I don't got a buzzer on it."

Pablo took her hand only for the girl to slap her hand on his, this one having the buzzer, causing him to yelp. She giggled as she helped him for real and introduced herself. "The name's Marie Vincennes, the pilot for EVA-04! Of course I hadn't had much chance to get into it due to nothing happening here so I just stick to VR training and boring homework."

Eldridge had an amused expression. "If by homework, you mean doing a bunch of hypothesis on metaphysics, then yeah, I'd say it's boring."

Marie shot back. "It's NOT hypothetical...it's theoretical. And anyway, it's old hat so nyah!"

Turning back to Miki and Pablo, she stuck out her hand. "Pleased to meetcha both!"

Pablo simply refused. Marie put on a faux gloomy expression. "You can trust me this time, mister, I'm real sorry!"

She even showed her hand to prove that she was sincere. Miki shooked it as did Pablo.

"I am grateful to meet you, Miss Vincennes. I hope we can get along with each just fine." Miki said and Marie gave her a funny look.

"Yeah...there's something about ya that I can't quite put my finger on it buuuuuuuuuut uuuuuuuummmmmmmm...eh, who cares! We're all weirdos here!"

Just then, a klaxon sounded off, this time scaring Miki as she gave out a little shout. Eldridge's face turned serious. "I don't believe this...Vincennes, get prepped and no, this isn't a drill. This is the real thing."

Marie simply beamed before running down the hallway. Pablo and Miki were slightly confused.

And then it dawned on her as Miki asked, "Is it...is it an Angel?!"

Pablo couldn't process any of this. Eldridge looked at them and said, "This evening's about to get a lot less boring."

The trio rushed into the Command Center as it was bustling with even more excitement.

The panoramic screen had become monochrome green, showing an unnatural looking..._thing_ as it floated a mile or so above the desert ground. It looked like some gargantuan amoeba except this thing had an eye in the center of its bubbling mass. Eldridge gave the command to open fire.

The screen showed tracer rounds slamming into this entity, from sentry guns built into the desert facility. It looked like a green laser show.

It had no effect.

Eldridge led the way to the skybox. When he turned towards Pablo, he had an annoyed look on his face.

"Looks like it's your time to shine, kiddo."

Pablo realized that he was right, him being the chief of the Technical Division. And then it really dawned on him. Looking at that monstrosity on the panoramic screen, he realized that he had to direct the facility through operating the EVA.

_Oh crap_

"Does the kid...does she know..."

Eldridge nodded and Miki looked at the both of them. She didn't even need to use her mind. "You can't be serious. You can't do that to the child!"

Pablo said nothing. Eldridge turned towards Miki.

"Ma'am, we've got a job to do and it ain't a pretty one. Before the night's over, we're gonna find out about what we're made of. This is what we all signed up for. Doctor Gonzalez, grab that headset. It'll hook you up to the speakers."

Miki remained silent as Pablo reached for it and placed it awkwardly on his head. He coughed and the speakers echoed it before the feedback came through.

"Ahem, testing testing one two three. OK, guys, I know you don't know me but I'm Doctor Pablo Gonzalez, your acting head of the Technical Division and-and-uh...hold on, just give me a second...there we go! Alright, let's get this show on the road."

Marie Vincennes had been preparing for this whole moment during her whole life. And now it's finally here. A real live Angel is attacking and it's up to her to save the day.

She grinned as her entry plug, the massive cylindrical cockpit for the pilots, was inserted into the EVA's spine by rotating into it. As soon as it was locked in place, the Entry Plug filled up with LCL, a translucent amber liquid that's oxygenated. Marie let herself submerge in the liquid, taking as much of it in her lungs, placing her hands on the controls. The display in front of her suddenly lit up as various colors swirled before her before settling on a fuzzy image of the interior of the facility...

The technicians were working into overdrive at the Command Center.

"Entry Plug insertion complete!"

"..LCL submersion complete, beginning..."

"...A-10 connection, nominal!"

"Synchronization at 56.77%, all lines open."

Pablo directed all of this even though they were all doing this automatically. _It's like I'm not really needed._

"Language configuration. Set it to American English." He ordered, wiping the sweat from his brow, before turning to Eldridge. "I hand it over to you now."

Eldridge nodded and, wearing his own headset, gave out his orders without any hesitation.

"Launch the EVA now."

The streaks of machine gun fire abated as the darkness returned, leaving the entity, codenamed Barajikal, alone in it. The Angel was mostly halfway through to its destination when a serious of detonations lit up the ground to its west. A smoking crater the shape of a square had appeared and out of the crater something flew up before it fell back to earth.

EVA Unit-04 landed back on its feet, crashing is more like it, and turned to face the unholy abomination that had appeared. Towering at 75 meters, EVA Unit-04 stood there magnificently, its silvery armor glowing and two pylons sticking out from behind each shoulder.

At first, nothing happened.

Then Barajikal lashed with a translucent tentacle, EVA 04 dodging by jumping over it. The EVA's umbilical cord went _through the Angel, dissipating from existence, _as the Angel lashed out again.

"Oh shit!" Marie shouted as she dodged again. _The umbilical cord's been cut! Gotta take this sucker out in five minutes or I'll run outta juice!"_

The ground exploded again, launching-

_The Pallet Rifle!_ She reached for it, as it fell into her hands. Or rather Unit-04's hands.

The Angel lashed out at her, striking her AT Field. Then it began to envelop her, absorbing her despite the AT Field keeping it back. She fired the assault rifle which was really a rapid firing artillery cannon to no avail.

Meanwhile, back in the Command Center, Eldridge ordered that a flank of sentry guns give suppressing fire. "Don't let the bastard take her, she's one of NERV's assets! And use incendiary rounds!"

A couple seconds later, a flank of automated machineguns popped out of their hidey holes and unleashed fiery hell upon Barajikal. The Angel started to notice but it was too powerful to even be harmed. At best, it was an inconvenience for the Angel.

It was hell for Marie as she started to panic. _Three minutes left! The AT Field is starting to phase out. This isn't how it's supposed to be! Not like this NOT LIKE THIS! I DON'T WANNA DIE LIKE THIS!_

She struggled against the abomination, ignoring that voice in her head telling that this is it, kiddo, you're gonna die and there's nothing you can do about it.

She started crying.

And then she heard the most gentlest voice. It told her it would be alright, that she could do it.

"Mama?"

It wasn't her mother but she listened anyway and-

A technician shouted that his terminal showed the readings going off the charts. Miki Saegusa, despite her best efforts, was being overwhelmed by the psychic force from the Angel, so much so that she collapsed. Eldridge swore before kneeling down to help her up. "Miss! Miss, c'mon, we need you! Send medics up here quick! Our ESP experts been taken out of the pic-"

The panoramic screen flashed with a brightness so intense that it filled the room with silence.

The Angel appeared to start glowing, its colors not found on any spectrum so looking at it would hurt one's eyes.

Eldridge, without hesitation, sent out an order to bomb the area with an N² bomb. Pablo objected to this.

"Are you crazy!? What if the pilot doesn't sur-"

Eldridge cut him off. "Listen to me, you cowardly bastard, if the EVA is absorbed by the enemy, then we've had it. If we have any other solutions, I'm all ears but until then-"

Miki opened her eyes and protested. "We can do it without loss of life, just let me try one more time, please."

Pablo interjected as he had an idea. "Wait, we have Positron Sniper Rifles here, right? Or am I wrong, Colonel?"

Eldridge looked at him confused. "That's classified information but yeah, we do. What're you-"

And then he knew what Pablo was getting at. "Kiddo, it's a crazy idea and it's never gonna work."

"Then I guess it's time we made it work. And don't call me kiddo."

Eldridge said nothing.

Colonel Samuel Eldridge, not having any time to switch out of his civilian suit, decided to drive the truck, loaded with a Positron Rifle cartridge, and drive towards the Angel. The cartridge, the length of two tanktainers, was wired to be detonated by driver and failing that, secondary detonator from an individual a mile away. The plan was that the truck be driven towards the Angel, attract its attention, the driver vacates the truck before getting snatched up and detonates the cartridge which would unleash a burst of energy that would hopefully put a dent in the Angel.

Pablo protested Eldridge driving the truck but the older man wouldn't have it. He wouldn't make his men do something without doing it himself. Pablo insisted that this was a stupid idea.

Eldridge for once agreed. "It is and if it fails, I'm leaving the rest of it to you."

Pablo could only stand there as Eldridge drove off.

As Eldridge got closer, his specialized goggles were failing to shield his eyes from Barajikal's "colors" but he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal.

"C'mon, you ugly sonofabitch, it's time for you to go back to whatever rejected Lovecraftian universe that you came from." Eldridge said as he took out the flare gun and aimed, or at least pointed in the general direction of the Angel and squeezed the trigger.

The flare gun cracked as the flare streaked through night air, the bright red light trailing after it.

Nothing happened.

"Dammit!" Eldridge swore before picking up the Hawk MM-1 MGL Automatic Grenade Launcher, resting it on the dashboard, and squeezed the trigger.

The windshield shattered as several projectiles were launched through it. Most of em struck the Angel.

That got its attention and a massive tentacle lashed out just as Eldridge leapt out of the truck, launched into the ground, and nearly passing out.

He yanked out the detonator.

He pressed the button.

Nothing.

_Just my luck, the damn thing is broken!_

He radioed Pablo to detonate the damn thing but his headset was broken.

"Well shit. Guess that's it." He tried to get up but he couldn't move his legs. Swearing again, he took out a bent cigarette and decided to light it. He knew Pablo was too chicken-shit to even press that damn button. He might as well have one before the end of the world.

Doctor Pablo Gonzalez waited but nothing happened. It seems it all came down to him.

"Goddammit, I hate this job!"

He pressed the button.

A bright dazzling flash appeared in the Angel's miasma. Suddenly it let the Evangelion go. Now it was head his way.

_Oh shit._

"Well I'll be damned, kiddo, you got some balls on you," Eldridge whispered, taking a drag on his cigarette. Now it all depended on Miki.

Miki Saegusa, parapsychologist, therapist, and telepath, focused her psychic powers at their maximum. Her headaches were overwhelming but she pushed on.

_Marie wake up! We need you! If you can hear me! Please!_

The Evangelion, slumped on the ground, kneeling as though it were praying, stood up and faced the Angel. Marie Vincennes, Evangelion Pilot, the Sixth Child, and orphan, pressed on the blood flow from her nose.

She screamed not in terror but in rage, charging the Angel, focusing her AT field to its maximum. The Angel tried fighting back but she batted the tentacle away, using her AT field to disintegrate it. It tried to absorb her but Marie, using the AT field as boxing gloves, proceeded to beat the everloving shit out of the Angel. The voice in her head was speaking at the Angel in a matter of fact tone:

_What's the rush? We're all having fun here. You don't want the fun anymore?Why?Why?Why?WHY?DON'TGODON'TYOUDARELEAVEWHENTHEGODDAMNFUNISJUSTGETTINSTARTED-_

Meanwhile Eldridge, for once in his life, sat on the desert ground shocked at this brutality and the impossibilty of how Marie was using her AT field.

Marie was laughing, in a savage tone, relishing in making the Angel suffer, not realizing that everyone back at the Command Center heard her, glimpsing her true nature.

The Angel, already being phased out of existence, tried one last desperate move. It proceeded to gather its energy.

Pablo's radio chirped, getting a report from Command. The Angel's energy levels were rising and that wasn't a good thing. "What the hell..."

He tried radioing Eldridge. "Eldridge get the hell outta there the Angel's gonna blow!"

He had to get outta there too but he also realize that there would never be enough time...

Eldridge heard snippets about what might happened but he didn't care. _Darla, honey, seems I'm gonna see you real soon._

He smiled at this as he closed his eyes and then another flash happened.

He welcomed the end-

But it didn't come. No intense heat. He didn't feel anything.

Eldridge opened his eyes to witness yet another miracle.

The EVA had reduced Barajikal into a ball and the Angel released its energy but it was too late because Marie, using her AT field and focusing it on her EVA's hands, held the furious ball of nuclear death like it was some lethal disco ball.

And then it disappeared. The EVA's hands were charred.

It walked a few more steps and then it collapsed.

**TWO DAYS LATER.**

Eldridge hated the food that they served in the Medical Wing but it was necessary. The fact that his bed was next to Marie's didn't make matters any better.

Marie chowed down on the food like it was nothing. She was covered in bruises and bandges but she didn't have a care in the world.

Pablo and Miki stopped by to check in on him, while Marie was sleeping.

"Hey there, Gonzalez, didn't know you had it in you." Eldridge chuckled as he slurped his soup before he groaned. "You bring my cigarettes?"

Pablo replied. "It's against hospital rules to smoke in here, dontcha know?"

"Horseshit. After what we all been through, I'd figure I deserve em."

Pablo simply smiled as he pulled out a pack of Moslems, the break cigarettes, and toss them to Eldridge who caught it. "Mebbe I was wrong about you."

"The first nicest thing you've said to me so far."

Eldridge grunted as he put a cigarette in his mouth. "Don't get too cocky, kid. I'm only nicelike on account of being doped up on meds. Amscray."

"You're not getting off that easy. Miki here has something to discuss with you and Vincennes. Well, see you around, cowboy."

He left and it was just the two of em. And Marie snoring through the afternoon. The silence was palpable before Eldridge spoke.

"I'm sorry that I did that to the kid. I know you must think I am a heartless monster but I wasn't going to let another Second Impact happen again."

Miki said nothing.

"Your headaches, are they gone?"

Miki nodded.

"That's a relief. Can't do us much good if the head shrink has something wrong with their head."

Miki said, "I suppose that's true. I was hoping I could talk to Marie but it appears she's too tired."

Eldridge replied. "That kid doesn't deserve medals so much as our everlasting gratitude. And yet we, I'm sorry, _I_ didn't hesitate to use her as a weapon. Can't blame Pablo either since I browbeated the two of you into it."

Miki sighed deeply. "I am still against this, this Project E, and I wanted to let you know that but the fate of humanity is at stake, that much I agree, although I don't know if we are worth saving if we force her to do this. But know that I won't fight you all of the time."

"That's fair and I wouldn't want you to agree with me all the time anyway. But the kid volunteered for this and I didn't force her. Yes, it's immoral and it's also necessary. Maybe someday you'll understand, maybe you won't. But we're here to save lives."

"And I am here to save your humanity. Pablo was wrong about you doing what you did. It wasn't stupid, it was suicidal."

Eldridge said nothing.

"You think so little of yourself that you were willing to throw away your own life? Why? Is it because-"

"That's enough."

Miki pressed on. "You know of my abilities. I used them until I hit my limit and then broke that limit. Everyone's thoughts, fears, joys, anger, and sadness were all displayed like a kaleidoscope but yours stuck out the most. Maybe it was because I was connecting with Marie and you were out there. It was so dark and you succumbed to it and you're still doing because you blame-"

"Doctor Saegusa, I think you overstayed your welcome. Whatever happened out there, be it in the present or back then, is none of your concern. Good day."

He sat there on the bed, staring straight ahead and waiting for Miki to leave. She thought of saying something else but decided not to and left the room.

Later that evening, Eldridge heard something that woke him up.

_Someone's cryin'..._

_It's the kid, Marie..._

He turned his head over to her form turned away from, moving as she cried, hearing her whisper, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

So he did what he thought was best and coughed. She stopped whispering and pretended to be asleep. But she was still sobbing.

So he did something that would stay between the two of them.

Eldridge hummed, at first seeming random before it turned out to be a tune

He sang a lullaby.

_Like the one Darla loves...used to loved._

He started cry as well but he still kept singing the lullaby.

They both eventually drifted off.

Deep down in the Pacific Ocean, down the deepest trench, a powerful being slumbered in the pitch black darkness.

Its radioactive spines glowed of Cherenkov radiation, the cool, unnatural blue faintly lighting the ocean bed.

But still it slept in its deep sleep, waiting for the call...


End file.
